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Range: 4–9
Full conversion chart
Every IELTS overall band with the TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, and Duolingo ranges that match it, plus the CEFR level. This is the same table the calculator above reads from.
Ranges are the concordance tables published by ETS, Pearson, and Duolingo. Universities publish their own minimum per test — a conversion estimates competitiveness, it does not replace the test a programme asks for.
Band by band
IELTS 5.5 converts to TOEFL iBT 46–59, PTE Academic 42–49, and Duolingo 85–95, at CEFR B1/B2. It is below the 6.0 most bachelor's programmes ask for, so it usually leads to a conditional offer with a pre-sessional English course attached rather than direct entry. Foundation and pathway programmes are the routes that normally accept it.
IELTS 6.0 equals TOEFL iBT 60–78, PTE Academic 50–57, and Duolingo 95–105, at CEFR B2. That is the standard undergraduate minimum at most universities in the UK, Australia, and Canada. Taught master's courses generally start one half-band higher at 6.5, and many also set a per-section floor, so check the section requirements as well as the overall band.
IELTS 6.5 converts to TOEFL iBT 79–93, PTE Academic 58–64, and Duolingo 105–120, still at CEFR B2. It is the most commonly published minimum for taught master's admission, and the band where most conditional offers become unconditional. Note how wide the TOEFL range is: 79 and 93 both convert back to 6.5, so the requirement is cleared by any TOEFL score from 79 upward.
IELTS 7.0 equals TOEFL iBT 94–101, PTE Academic 65–72, and Duolingo 120–130 — the first band at CEFR C1, advanced. Competitive master's programmes, and most law, medicine, journalism, and teaching courses, set 7.0 as their entry requirement, often with a 6.5 minimum in each section. It is also the band that removes any pre-sessional English condition from an offer.
IELTS 7.5 converts to TOEFL iBT 102–109, PTE Academic 73–78, and Duolingo 130–140, at CEFR C1. Few courses require it outright; it matters for the small set that do, such as clinical, legal, and PhD-level programmes, and for professional registration bodies. Above this band the score stops differentiating applicants, so the next half-band is rarely worth a retake.
The four tests
Use this with the converter above to pick whichever test fits your budget, deadline, and target school's policy.
Accepted by most institutions globally; UK Visa & Immigration uses IELTS UKVI.
MyBest Score combines your highest section scores from the past 2 years.
AI-scored; fastest result turnaround. Accepted by UK & Australia immigration.
Cheapest and fastest. Not accepted by IRCC (Canada) or UK visa authorities; some grad programs cap at 125.
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These ranges are the official concordance tables published by the test administrators (ETS for TOEFL iBT — n=1,153 study, Pearson for PTE Academic, Duolingo for the Duolingo English Test). They measure equivalent bands of English proficiency, not exact raw-score equivalence. A university's admissions page is always the authoritative source for which test (and which score) it actually accepts.
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